CHRISTMAS DAY 2011

Well, I was up at 2:00 and at 4:00 and now it’s 6:00.  Coughing my head off and feeling like yuck!  No way I can go to church…and I am so sad to miss the 65th anniversary celebration.  But, I am sure I am still contagious and besides that, if anyone sat near me they could not hear anything!  Why does God keep things like this from us when He knows how much we desire them?  I have no answer other that knowing it is better for me to be at home taking care of myself, than being at church.  I know God sees where the greater good will come and so that is what I have to trust in.  I don’t have to be happy about it, though.  But, His will, not mine.

So, since I have an infinite amount of time here…I shall upload to the blog the lovely pictures we made on Christmas Day 2011.  Yes. Yes, I know it is almost February and I am quite late. No. No, the pictures have not been in my possession.   No I did not take them.  I am just thrilled to have them now…and that’s all I’m gonna say about that!  So here we are …in pictures…

THE OWENS FAMILY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE McKIBBEN FAMILY

 

 

 

 

THE TOWNSEND FAMILY

 

 

 

 

WE ARE BLESSED…AND BLESSED …AND BLESSED SOME MORE!  GOD HAS BEEN SO GOOD TO US AND ALL OUR PRAISE GOES TO HIM!

CHRISTMAS REMEMBERING

The carols of Christmas have been around for ages and no one can improve on them or their message.  They are the time-honored classics that we sing in church and as we go carolling.  We hear them in our cars, in the mall and in from our homes.  They are the songs that bring tears to our eyes, because we can recall singing them with our parents or grandparents or dear friends.  They stir our hearts because they remind us of the true Christmas meaning.  Can you imagine hearing the host of angels in the sky singing, “Gloria, Gloria in Excelsis Deo!”  (which means “in exaltation of God.”)?  I can.  Just read these beautiful words…from the song   Angels, From the Realm of Glory

Angels from the realms of glory,
Wing your flight o’er all the earth;
Ye who sang creation’s story
Now proclaim Messiah’s birth.

Refrain

Come and worship, come and worship,
Worship Christ, the newborn King.

Shepherds, in the field abiding,
Watching o’er your flocks by night,
God with us is now residing;
Yonder shines the infant light:

Refrain

Sages, leave your contemplations,
Brighter visions beam afar;
Seek the great Desire of nations;
Ye have seen His natal star.

Refrain

Saints, before the altar bending,
Watching long in hope and fear;
Suddenly the Lord, descending,
In His temple shall appear.

Refrain

Sinners, wrung with true repentance,
Doomed for guilt to endless pains,
Justice now revokes the sentence,
Mercy calls you; break your chains.

Refrain

Though an Infant now we view Him,
He shall fill His Father’s throne,
Gather all the nations to Him;
Every knee shall then bow down:

Refrain

All creation, join in praising
God, the Father, Spirit, Son,
Evermore your voices raising
To th’eternal Three in ONE

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I love how each verse talks about a different group of people…Angels, Shepherds, Sages (Wise Men), Saints, Sinners, Us, All creation.  Is anyone exempt from this most marvelous gift?  No…it is for everyone!  He came for everyone!

Thinking of these songs reminds me of the wonderful years we had together at Southside Baptist Church when we performed a Christmas Pageant which included  a huge Living Christmas Tree.  I was the drama director for the program, working with Tina. These are some pics of our children when they were a part of it…such beautiful memories.

 

 

 

 

 

Adam and Carrie…Alex and Ben…A King’s Court…Ian, Elizabeth,and Hannah…Tara and Lori…Mom and Danielle (as homeless family)…

I have hundreds more…we did it for many years.  Looking at these pics, it brings a prayer to my heart.  ”I pray that my children always remember the foundation they were given in church.  May they always hold Christmas and its true meaning close to their hearts.  And, may they always be bold to share the wonderful story with others.”  Amen

Happy Christmas Eve Eve!

AN ENCHANTED EVENING

When we were young, and through out our childhood, most of our lives revolved around our church and our faith.  Friends from church were the friends we grew up with.  Friends who shared our faith were the girls we shared our lives with, giggled about first loves with and stood up with when we married.  The activities we were involved with during the week were usually on Wednesday night at church when we would have choir practice and missions study.  And another afternoon for piano lessons.  Sometimes Mom or Pop would have a class meeting or Brotherhood group.  They had other interests, as well,but the main focus of our lives was Jesus Christ.

Therefore, from the time we knew what was going on…we knew Sunday was church day.  We went Sunday morning and Sunday evening and that was that.  There was never any plans made to do anything different.  Unless we were sick, we were there.  But, that wasn’t a BAD thing…we loved church and the people there.  And, all our friends were there, too.  It was where we wanted to be.

There was one night, however, every year when we were allowed to stay home on Sunday night.  It was for the yearly showing of “The Wizard of Oz”.  Now, in those years, this show was THE show.  It was a big deal when it came on.  There were no DVR’s or DVD’s or BluRay or anything.  You saw it when they played it once a year.  They would begin promoting it early, so there was never any idea as to when the one showing for the year would be.

Pop would stay home with us.  Oh, but it was much more than staying home and watching a show together.  It was a ‘tradition’.  Mom would fix us supper early before she went to church.  And, she would set it up in front of the TV so we could watch while we ate.  That was a treat in itself.  Then, when the show started Joy and I would sit and watch and try to sing the ‘Rainbow’ song with Judy Garland.  Pop sat back in his recliner and watched with us….and watched us.

Joy would start off beside me but when things started getting scary with the witch and the flying monkeys and the hour glass…Joy would be gone.  And, Pop would have a little body in the chair with him.  And, she would be crying.

I was never really scared…it was just make believe…and I knew it wasn’t real.  And, so did Joy.  But, there was always that point in the show when her feelings of fear for Dorothy would take over her sense of reality.  And, she believed.  And, she cried and Daddy was there for her to remind her that it wasn’t real and that she was just fine.

And, the next year…the same scene would play out.  And it did until we quit watching.  (Betcha Joy would still cry today, though, if she were to watch)

I don’t remember when it was that we stopped.  I suppose we grew out of it and had other things going on at the time that we were involved with.  Perhaps, they just stopped showing it.  But, we watched it long enough that it became a special time between Pop and us that was etched forever in our hearts.  We mention it all along when something brings it to mind.  And laugh, again, at Joy’s tears.

I was unable to attend church today because I was sick, so after Charles Stanley went off, I was flipping through the channels.  I came upon ‘The Wizard of Oz.’  It was stuck on an obscure channel…and there were no special announcements telling the viewers it was coming on.  It played through and they showed the credits and started it over immediately.  No big deal…just play it over and over.  I suppose that kids today would probably not find it very exciting.  The very primitive special effects would seem boring, I’d imagine.

 

But, for two little girls and their daddy, just hearing the words ‘The Wizard of Oz’ brings back sweet memories and cherished time together.  It reminds me that my daddy knew what was important.  Our first allegiance was to the Lord and that I knew well.  But, he knew that little girls need a little fantasy.  They need the excitement of looking forward to spending a special evening with their daddy.  And, they need a safe place to run to when the flying monkeys of the world show their ugly little heads.

Joy and I and Adam and Pop will be leaving on Tuesday for Birmingham.  Pop will have surgery on Wednesday morning, and after seeing the doctor again on Thursday morning, we will be coming home, God willing.  This eye that will be operated on is Pop’s good eye.  He has no discernible vision in the other eye, so he is understandably nervous.  We are putting our trust in the doctor’s capable hands…but our faith is in God.  He has led us to this point…He has put no stumbling blocks in our way, as we prayed He would if this was not wise…and He has given Joy and I peace in our hearts about the procedure.  Please keep us in your prayers.

 

FORREST, FORREST GUMP

I just watched Forrest Gump…for the fifty-second time…at least!   Isn’t that just the best movie?  Every time I watch it, I see something I didn’t notice before.  I think, maybe the reason I like it so much is that so much of the things that ‘happened’ during the movie, I remember really happening.  And, even though Forrest is there only through ‘movie magic’, we somehow feel as if he could have been there.

 I had a smiley face  T-shirt!  I remember Watergate, even if I didn’t understand it at the time.  I remember when Nixon resigned and gave the Peace signs as he entered the plane.  I remember Viet Nam, and hippies, and when marijuana became a big thing.  I remember Kennedy and his assassination,  I remember when we first started hearing about AIDS, and the hysteria that followed.  I remember when Reagan was shot.

So, maybe the reason I like it so much is that it reminds me of my ‘formative years’.  That, and I always like the way he and his son sat on the riverbank together.  And, you know, you just KNOW, that boy is going to have a great life.

Another movie I can watch over and over is Shawshank Redemption.  Such amazing performances.  I love the way good finally triumphs over evil…even though it took many years.  I like to imagine those two guys growing old together by the sea in Mexico.

One of the funniest movies ever is The Princess Bride.  Well, maybe not so much funny as it is clever.  You have to watch it several times to even get all the jokes.  Wonderful writing.

And, naturally, those tried and true ‘girly’ movies…Pretty Woman, Dirty Dancing, and Fried Green Tomatoes, and Ghost and Steel Magnolia’s are always running on some station somewhere.  And  Under the Tuscan Sun…great!  I have to stop and watch anytime I flip past them on the TV.

And, I can’t leave out Somewhere in Time…perfect!  And, the music!  Oh, it’s such a beautiful, beautiful movie.  And so romantic.  Along those lines…Chocolat…not too well known, but such a beautiful picture and story.

I do not like movies that are full of stress and nonstop excitement and heart stopping action.  I guess I have enough stress in my life already.  When I go to a movie, I want to laugh or at least smile.  I don’t mind a serious subject or a movie that is sad.  But, I really like to have that ‘uplifted’ feeling when I leave the theater.  One of the movies that fits into this category for me is Awakenings with Robin Williams portraying doctor, Oliver Sachs, who discovers the drug L-dopa and ‘awakens’ patients who have been in catatonic states for decades.  Based on the memoirs of Sachs, it is sad and touching and sweet, and heart warming.  It also plays somewhere on TV every month or so.   Shawshank fits here, as well as, Schindler’s List, which everyone should have to watch, and Rain Man, which gave us all a lesson in compassion and acceptance.  One more…Cast Away!

I recently watched a movie, a few years old, but new to me.  I knew it would be a little bit terrifying, just from the reviews I read.  But, it so intrigued me, I watched it anyway.  I had the TV controls in my hand and could fast forward if necessary.  The movie was Seven Pounds,  starring Will Smith.  What a movie!  I had to watch it twice to get it all straight in my mind.  But, so powerful.  No, I could not watch about 5 minutes of it…but just imagining it is close enough.  I love a movie that plays over and over in my mind.  The more it is pondered, the more is gleaned from it.

Little Miss Sunshine was a movie that is hard to forget.  First of all, the language is atrocious…very bad.  Second, this is the most dysfunctional family ever…including their extended family.  But, through their journey to the little girl’s beauty pageant…we learn to see much deeper into each character and begin to understand them.  Excellent movie…great lessons…a little kooky…awful language.  As Good As It Gets…tops, too!

Of course, I suffered through all the Star Wars movies, and the extended versions.  I know all about Luke, and Leia, and Han, and Chewbacca and Lando, and Jabba, and the stormtroopers, and the droids, and R2-D2, and C3PO, and…Yoda.  And, I could give you about 20 or so more names, but I’ll spare you.  All my boys loved The      Lord of the Rings movies, and watched them again and again.  Me, not so much…too dark.  The best of all the ‘other worldly’ movies…E.T….the best for all the reasons a movie can be called great!  Somehow the Harry Potter stuff escaped us…and that’s fine with me.  Those vampire kids, too…never saw them…never want to.

 I thought I wanted to see The Help, but I read the book, and I’m afraid the movie may not match up.  You know when you read a book, you put a face to your characters, you build the town they live in and you create a face and life for the friend and acquaintances.  They are alive as you read the book, with features just as the author dictates.  But, if you see a movie after you have read the book…it very rarely looks like you saw it in your mind.  So instead of seeing the characters for the first time, it is actually for the second time and they may be nothing like you built them.  My niece, Tara, said that is what bothered her a lot in the movie.  We both have a deep affinity for reading.

I confess I don’t go to movie theaters much…just wait for them to come out on TV or whatever it is now that we play on our TV.  What movies have you committed to memory?  Which ones can you watch over and over?  Which ones made a real impact in your life or taught you a lesson?  I’m sure I’ve forgotten some really important movie, but perhaps you will jog my memory.  Love to hear your answers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WELCOME FALL

Are you as happy to see Autumn as I am?  Seems as though summer went on forever!  And, it was so hot…scorching hot…unbearably hot!  I still like it better than winter.  But now, here in the deep South, the heat has lessened and the leaves have begun to ponder whether they will fall again this year.  It’s still pretty warm up in the day, but a little cool in the mornings and evenings.  I love it.

I like everything about fall.  Do you feel that way?  I like to wear a sweater occasionally, and I love the festivals and fairs, and the feeling of celebration in the air.  I have never been much of a Halloween fan.  The boys went trick or treating and we always handed out candy…but it’s never really been that big of a deal to most of the folks we know.

The fun part of it has always been OK, but I do not go in for all the dead things and gory pictures and accessories.  In my opinion, there’s too much violence in the world as it is…..why promote something that gives kids a chance to pretend they are involved.  Now, I know others view it differently, and that’s just fine by me.  Isn’t it a blessing that we live in a country where we have choices about the things we support or not?

By the way, this was not my intended topic for this post, but sometimes things just seems to write themselves.  Does that ever happen to you?  Please say it does, because I already feel a little bumfuddled!

Now THESE are the things I like about Fall!  Well, maybe not the ‘raking leaves’ one.  Who put that in there?  However, I can remember the fun of jumping into a great big pile of them, can’t you?

I love the colors of fall most of all, I think.  And, I wonder if that is because they are so ‘earthy’.  The reds and the browns, and the golds, and the greens, and especially the oranges….they meld together in the nicest way, I think.  There’s never any problem with them matching,  because they just naturally ‘go together’.  Our eyes are accustomed to seeing them next to one another.  I suspect our Heavenly Father planned it that way.

This sign is more of the same, but I particularly like the way the color fades out and the words do, too.  Creates a warm feeling.  And, that’s another great thing about Autumn.  I love to have a fire in the fireplace and sit close enough to warm one side…then turn around and warm the other.  Something that has always amused me is how when people everywhere walk up to a fire…the first thing they do is put out their hands to feel it.  I know they are warming their hands, but it’s just so common an occurance, that we all want our hands warmed first.  Or else, we are just wondering if that roaring, crackling, bright orange and red thing is REALLY hot!  And, if that’s it…I wouldn’t tell it!

 

“Then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and

spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine, and

oil.”

Deuteronomy 11:14 NIV

 

Have a beautiful fall weekend! 

 


 

 

WHERE WERE YOU?………part 2

Here we go…more memories.  This first one is a step back, then a jump forward.

JULY 1980

This was a day of fairy tales.  This was a day of magic.  This was a day when girls the world over could say, “It’s true, it’s true!  You really can meet a prince and fall in love and get married.  You can wear a real tiara and live in a castle.  You really can.”  And even though I was 27 years old, I watched and was mesmerized.  As the stories were told of the courtship and the engagement and days leading up to the wedding…I felt like the whole of it was a fairy tale.  And, I was getting to watch it play out!  [I watched it all night long while my family slept.  I had one son and my second child was due in 4 months.]

Honestly, when she arrived and got out  of the carriage and we got our first look at that dress….it was breathtaking.  It was magnificent!  It was perfection.

And, then…all the little children that were attending her in their sweet outfits…just divine!  That was the first time I had seen anyone have all children as attendants, and I understand that is the custom.  As she began walking down the aisle and that train flowed out like a white capped river behind her, I thought it was the most beautiful wedding I had ever seen.

 

The only thing I didn’t like were her flowers.  Looked like they took every white flower in the garden for the bouquet.  It must have weighed a ton!

 

And, as the festivities were over many thought that ‘she had it all.  She’d made it!  A commoner (even though she did have a royal bloodline) met a prince (can’t make myself call him handsome).  She married him and went to live in the castle.  And, they lived happily ever after.’    That is the way fairy tales are supposed to end, isn’t it?

AUGUST 1997

I finally got all my boys in bed (now I had 3).  And, I sat down to flip through a new magazine…the television had been left on and I do not even know what was on.  But, the sound bite that plays when a network breaks into a program came on and I looked up to see what was happening.  Princess Diana…car crash….several dead…. taken to hospital….paparazzi.  And, I couldn’t leave the TV.  Again, I watched through the night…waiting to hear if she was dead or alive.  How many others were doing the same thing the world over?  Soon we learned the awful truth.  She was gone.

I’ve often wondered why this affected me.  Not in a big way, but just a sadness at the whole situation.  And, I think it was because the fairy tale was really over now.  Charles and Diana had divorced, but she had remained a public figure and continued her charitable work.  But, now…it all had ended.  And, it is so much the same for so many of us, isn’t it?  We may not be a real true Princess, but our hope and dreams and wishes are just as real…and they, too, may be crushed.  It’s how we react to this that tells our life story.

SEPTEMBER 11, 2001

And, now to the tragedy that is known simply by 2 numbers 9/11.  Everyone knows what it means.  Everyone remembers.  Everyone has stories to tell.  Everyone changed after that day.   I don’t think any of us knew what terrorism really meant and how close it was to our home land.  But, that day taught us many, many lessons.

Do you remember where you were?  Most of us do, if we are old enough.  And, I do, as well.  I had gotten up early that morning because I had a trip planned to Birmingham.  Alex had an appointment with one of his doctors in Birmingham that afternoon.  Joy was going with me this time.  Before I left to go and pick her up, I called my friend, Tina, to tell her something.  She asked me if I had heard the news?  I quickly got off the phone and turned on the TV.  This was after the first plane had hit.  The newscasters were trying their best to report what had happened without panic…but you could see it all over their faces.

I was watching when the second plane hit.  I was dumbfounded.  Newscasters were still saying that the first plane could have been an accident, but after the second plane hit, they reported we were under attack.  UNDER ATTACK?  What did that even mean?  Did you know?  We were not like other nations who had lived with attacks and threats for many years…they knew what it meant.  I didn’t.  I could remember, vaguely, when there were ‘fallout shelters’ located around town.  But, I had no idea what to do if we were ‘under attack’.

I got in the car with Alex and went to get Joy.  And, then we went over to Mom and Pop’s house to decide what to do.  I called Don, and he said he thought I should go on…”Life goes on”, he said.    We turned on the TV and all sat watching…and then there was a third plane crash into the Pentagon.

I felt very uneasy about traveling anywhere.  I just wanted to stay home and watch the news.  Soon the news went back to New York where the towers were collapsing.  People were jumping.  Jumping to certain death.  When I see these people huddled next to the windows, it tears my heart in two.

I think they probably thought they were going to be rescued.  The tower surely wouldn’t collapse.  It was too strong for that.  Safeguards were in place.  When the first tower fell, what did those in the second tower feel?  Did they know then?  Did they know there was little hope? How unthinkable.

We heard then that all flights had been cancelled throughout the country.  WOW…that was big!  And, then the news told us that towns and cities were imposing curfews.  Stores and shops were closing, schools were closing and kids were coming home to parents…the world seemed to be ‘closing down’.

And, next came the news about Flight 93…

We heard of the telephone calls and we heard the actual voices of those who knew where they were headed.  We heard the voices of those who decided they would not go down without a fight.  They would fight for right as long as they had breath.  Heroes all!

Would this be the end?  Four tragedies, one after another.  Was this it?  Or were there more attacks to come?  What were we supposed to do?

And, I called Don again and he said, Go”.  I asked Pop, and he said, ” Go on with what you need to do.”  I asked Joy what she wanted to do.  She said we needed to go on.  I called the Clinic in Birmingham and asked if they were still seeing patients.  The receptionist said,”Of course we are.”  So off we went.

And even though there was no danger here in South AL., we didn’t know that.  And what we did know was that there had already been 4 attacks, and the President said we were “Under attack.”  So, it took a great deal of courage for us to drive 200 miles north to the largest city in AL.  But, we did.

Joy and I always liked to stay at a certain hotel in Birmingham.  It was the one that was connected to the  big Galleria mall.  Usually, Don would say ‘no’ because it was too expensive.  It was very convenient for us because Alex could stay in the room and we could easily check on him.  Plus, we could take our heavy packages to the room while shopping.  The last time I made reservations, Don had said we could stay there.  And, that time was this time.

We went on to our appointment, and noticed that quite a few of the individual doctors offices were closed. The parking deck for the clinic was as empty as I have ever seen it.   There was very little traffic on the road, and according to the radio…there were no rooms available in the city.  Travelers on planes were forced to find a room and stay in the city.    Those who travelled by car throughout the state on business had to get off the roads.    Thankfully we had a reservation.  We made it to the room…got Alex settled…and went into the Galleria.  We really didn’t feel like shopping, and we wanted to get to the television and see what was happening.   Every single store and food vendor was either closed or closing by 6:00, due to the early curfew.   We did manage to find some food available.  We got it to go…and we spent our evening in the room…watching the TV…and thinking that we really wished we were home.

We got up early the next morning, and headed to Dothan.  Things were moving a little more and we were able to find some food at Mc D. and gas for the car.  We turned toward Dothan and didn’t stop till we got here.  For several days, every one was glued to the TV…and no one went anywhere they didn’t have to go.

But, 3 days later…Don had a meeting to attend in California.  He had already made his flight reservation before 9/11.  He went to the airport and got on the plane and flew to California.  I tried to talk him out of it, but he said, “Life is happening all the time.  If God is ready for me…I’m ready for Him.  If not, then He will protect me.”  And off he flew.  And, home he came.

And, we all changed that day.  We learned things we never knew before.  It brought a new and different fear into our lives.  We now knew what ‘UNDER ATTACK’ meant.  And, we were taught to always be cautious and to look at others with a suspicious eye.  And forever we were different.  And, that is NOT a good thing.

God Bless America

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I tried to write the preceding without too much opinion…but, I feel compelled to add the following observations:  Personally, I was very thankful there was a man the caliber of George Bush leading us at this time.  I trusted him and I knew he trusted God.  There was always such talk that he did too much of this or not enough of that, he did this well, but really messed up in that.  My feeling is this…he was the first president in modern times to deal with war coming right into our streets from such vile terrorists.  No one had given him a handbook to study.  He and his advisers figured it out…put safeguards in place…and kept us safe.  He did a masterful job, if you ask me.

I also thought Rudy Giuliani was a leader who showed a heart of compassion and a leadership skill that rallied the whole of NYC…and impressed the whole country.

I am flabbergasted by airline travelers who are raising such a ruckus over screening procedures these days.  What part of ‘this is for your own benefit’ can they not understand?  They get better screening procedures and the women yell, ‘they can see my boobs on that machine!’  Well big WOO!.  I don’t care if they can see my boobs…I certainly wouldn’t be flashing them in public…but, if the woman before me had some sort of weapon taped under her boobage…I would sure hope they could see that, too.  Frankly, I feel the x-ray machine operator who is reading the scan cares very little about any body part…he’s too busy looking for explosives and the like.  It’s a job, people.   I imagine after you see thousands in a day, they kind of lose their appeal…(at least while on the job.)  While I’ve flown enough to get a mite aggravated at the shoes off and the opening of my suitcases and looking through everything…touching my stuff and getting it out of order…even getting patted down—I would not dare open my mouth to complain!  In fact, I go out of my way to say ‘thank-you’ to those officers I come in contact with.  Once when Alex had to go through with his wheelchair, they practically took the whole thing apart, and then didn’t know how to get it back together.  They kept wanting him to stand for the pat down and he kept falling, which didn’t please them.  We finally got them to understand that he had to hold on to something to stand still.  Then, his shoes had to come off…and sox…which took about 15 minutes to get all back on.  BUT…all that was to be sure that all the other people traveling that day were safe.  I must not complain about our inconvenience, when others are being inconvenienced as well.  So, travelers..whatever they throw at us, as far as safety precautions…JUST DO IT!  Don’t make snide remarks and bang around making the rest of us uncomfortable…JUST DO WHAT THEY ASK…..OR TAKE A BUS!  I actually think they should just kindly escort those who complain and act the fool, out the door to a waiting bus and drop them off at the Greyhound Bus Station!